Zombie pedagogies: the problems with using the undead in public pedagogies for emergencies

Article

Preston, J. 2016. Zombie pedagogies: the problems with using the undead in public pedagogies for emergencies. Jahrbuch für Pädagogik 2016.

Authors

Preston, J.

Abstract

The well-known Hollywood ‘zombie’ genre has recently begun to invadeprograms and training courses in disaster control and emergency prevention.The author explores the consequences of a transfer of an entertainment metaphorinto real US military policies. Is it possible that this implies attuning the populaceto catastrophies by means of edutainment? And does this, as Preston argues, insome ways ‘de-humanize’ one’s adversaries? The article points to a fatal dialecticsand disturbing elements of a post-ethical disposition. This results not only insome sort of inevitable legitimation of the ‘war on terror’ leaving behind all tenetsof civil society. It also permits, subcutaneously, to act without restrictions againstcertain groups as if they were ‘undeads’.